A man carries water supplied by the local government in a community in Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province, April 12, 2014. Tap water in downtown Lanzhou has been found to contain excessive levels of benzene, provincial authorities said on Friday. The local government has taken emergent measures to ensure the safe water supply in affected areas. (Xinhua/Zhang Meng)

LANZHOU, April 12 (Xinhua) -- A subsidiary of CNPC, China's largest oil company, is being blamed for an oil leak which contaminated tap water in Lanzhou on Friday, affecting 2.4 million people. Full story

LANZHOU, April 11 (Xinhua) -- Excessive levels of benzene in tap water have affected more than 2.4 million people in downtown Lanzhou in northwest China's Gansu Province, provincial authorities said on Friday.

Tests at a water plant at 8:30 a.m. on Friday showed tap water contained 160 micrograms of benzene per liter, far in excess of the 10 micrograms per liter national limit, according to the city's environmental protection office.Full story